Mandala Workshop: Unwind with Art

The Department of Sociology and Social Work Student Association organized the Mandala Art Workshop, hosted by Ms. Sara Jain. The facilitator for the event was Ms. Nandini Tikku. The event was kickstarted with Ms. Sara giving a short introductory speech about Ms. Nandini, a Postgraduate student of History in CHRIST (Deemed to be) University, Bengaluru. Ms. Nandini is a self-taught Mandala artist and has also conducted several workshops individually and in collaboration with Rotaract Clubs of various colleges. Art, for her, is an expression of herself and therapy.

In the introductory speech, Ms. Sara also familiarised the audience with the meaning of the word 'Mandala'- which has its origin in the Sanskrit language and signifies a circle or the center. After this, the session was handed over to Ms. Nandini.

Ms. Nandini further enhances the significance of Mandala art by emphasizing the impact it has on our mental and emotional well-being. She mentions three types of Mandalas- Teaching Mandala, Healing Mandala, and Sand Mandala. She clarifies that Mandala is not only a Hindu symbol but is used by many other religions. Ms. Nandini talks about how Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung introduced Mandala art in the West and its impact on people's lifestyles, including improved sleep patterns, concentration power, de-stressing activity, and something that added fun to their lives. With this, Ms. Tikku moved on to teach the audience the art of drawing a Mandala. The name of the Mandala that she taught for the session was- Connected or Connectional Mandala.

She mentioned that Mandalas are not always made with monochrome colors and that lines drawn within a Mandala circle need not be straight. Ms. Nandini taught the audience the technique of drawing leaves inside the Mandala circle and between the lines, spiral patterns inside the leaves, mounts within the lines, and even triangles. The key was to keep drawing designs within designs. She further asked people to fill in their Mandalas with the designs of their choice to nurture the audience's creativity for the event.

Finally, the audience was asked to share their work, followed by a feedback session from the participants in the workshop. Some of the feedback included-

• helped the participants to relax and not worry about being perfect their art
• Improved concentration power
• It worked like meditation for some
• Freeing the mind of stress
• Fun

The session was concluded by Ms. Adrija Dutta, who delivered the vote of thanks by thanking Dr. Victor Paul Sir (Head of the Department of Sociology and Social Work) for his support, Ms. Nandini Tikku for facilitating the event, and the rest of the participants for their efforts.